'Cradle of Home Appliances' LG Electronics Gasan Campus Leads Future Innovation Beyond 50 Years

First Private Comprehensive Research Institute, LG Gasan Campus
Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Current and Former Employees
Leading the Discovery of Future Growth Engines Based on Technological Excellence

The Gasan Research and Development (R&D) Campus, established by LG Electronics in 1975 as the nation's first comprehensive research institute founded by a private company, is marking its 50th anniversary. LG Electronics aims for the campus to go beyond its role as the cradle of the company's home appliance business, positioning it as a hub of innovation that will lead future industries in the era of artificial intelligence (AI)-including core components, advanced functional materials, and platforms.

On December 8, LG Electronics announced that it held a commemorative event at the Gasan R&D Campus in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, under the theme "50 Years of Technology and Passion, a Promise for Tomorrow." Current and former executives and employees, as well as distinguished scholars engaged in industry-academia partnerships with LG Electronics, gathered to share the achievements of the past 50 years and the future vision for innovation in the coming half-century. Attendees included Lee Hyunwook, Head of the HS Research Center (Executive Vice President), Oh Segi, Head of the ES Research Institute (Executive Vice President), as well as former Vice Chairman Kim Ssangsoo, former President Lee Youngha, former President Shin Moonbeom, former President Song Daehyun, and other current and former heads of the Home Appliance Business Division and research institutes.

On the 8th, LG Electronics held a commemorative event at the Gasan R&D Campus in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, under the theme "50 Years of Technology and Passion, a Promise for Tomorrow." Current and former executives and employees, as well as renowned scholars collaborating with LG Electronics in industry-academia partnerships, gathered to share the achievements of the past 50 years and the future vision for innovation in the coming half-century. LG Electronics

In December 1975, LG Electronics established the Gasan R&D Campus, originally named "Goldstar Central Research Institute," to create a more systematic research base and foster synergy among research centers. At that time, most Korean companies operated small research units within individual factories. It was the first comprehensive research institute established by a private company to oversee the development of new products, quality improvement, and automation of production systems across product categories such as home appliances and computers. The institute launched as a single-story building equipped with facilities for electrical measurement and control experiments, and it has since undergone three expansions. Today, the total floor area has reached 350,000 square meters, and the number of resident staff has grown from just dozens at the time of its opening to around 1,700, firmly establishing the campus as the center of home appliance R&D innovation.

Over the past 50 years, the campus has produced innovative products that are recognized for opening new horizons in home appliances. Notable examples include the world's first "DD Motor" in 1998, which directly connected the motor and drum without a belt, and the linear compressor for refrigerators in 2001, which converts rotary motion into linear motion. These achievements demonstrated LG's technological leadership in core components through outstanding energy efficiency and durability. Building on this technological foundation, LG introduced groundbreaking products such as the "LG Styler" clothing care system in 2011, the world's first "TwinWash" dual washer in 2015, and the "UP Appliances" in 2022, which feature upgradable functions not previously seen in the market.

In particular, the research institute set milestones for Korea's electronics industry, starting with the successful localization of the electronic cash register (POS) in 1977, the launch of Korea's first electronic Korean-English typewriter, and the independent development of application-specific semiconductors. In 1981, the first localization of an electronic video tape recorder (VTR) with more than 20,000 integrated parts marked a turning point where Korean technology gained recognition in the global home appliance market, which had previously been dominated by Japanese companies. LG home appliances developed at the Gasan R&D Campus have gone on to top performance evaluations and customer satisfaction rankings in various countries, earning recognition for their world-class technological excellence.

LG Electronics held a commemorative event on the 8th at the Gasan R&D Campus in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, under the theme "50 Years of Technology and Passion, a Promise for Tomorrow." At the Gasan R&D Campus, former Vice Chairman Kim Ssangsoo, former President Lee Youngha, and former President Shin Moonbeom are listening to explanations about LG Electronics' home appliance strategy. LG Electronics

Currently, the institute conducts a wide range of research not only on home appliances but also on core components, advanced functional materials, and platforms. Research is underway in high-speed motor and inverter laboratories, microbiology and hygiene laboratories, and advanced platform laboratories. In addition, specialized research centers such as the Clothing Science Research Institute and the Air Science Research Institute, as well as a materials research center, are operating to discover LG Electronics' future growth engines, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) compressors and advanced functional materials such as "glass powder."

Lee Hyunwook, Head of the HS Research Center (Executive Vice President) at LG Electronics, stated, "Based on the world's best technological capabilities accumulated over the past 50 years, the campus will serve as a strategic hub leading the new era of AI-powered homes and as the center of innovation that delivers differentiated customer value."

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